The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde — Erle Stanley Gardner

DIANA REGIS HAD A BLACK EYE.

She was a good-looking blonde and fighting mad when she came to Perry Mason's office. She wanted Mason to take action against her employer's stepson, a particularly obnoxious young man who had knocked her down when she resisted his advances.

Perry was sympathetic. He took action at once--and got $1,500 for Diana and a $500 fee for himself. Case dismissed.

But the very next night, the girl who shared Diana's apartment was found murdered. At the scene of the crime, the police found two vital clues: the murder weapon, a pistol covered with Diana's fingerprints, and her bag containing a receipt for his services, signed "Perry Mason per Della Street."

Now Perry Mason really had a case!